Tongues are indeed the least of the gifts, yet it is the only gift that Paul wished we ALL would partake of.
Isn't that a curious paradox?
If you're not eagerly desiring spiritual gifts, especially to prophesy you're not obeying the command of Scripture. You're refusal to listen to Him is actually hurting the people around you because prophesy builds up the church. So you need to repent.
Hebrews 2:4 teaches the God gives gifts according to His own will not according to our seeking
".....gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will." Hebrews 2:4.
1 Cor. 12:8-11 lists 9 gifts, the last being tongues and interpretation of tongues:
Tongues were spoken on 3 occasions in Acts (2:4; 10:46; 19:6), on none of these occasions are the recipients seeking, waiting or expecting to speak in tongues. At Pentecost, only the Apostles (12) spoke in tongues, but all who were saved (3000) received the Holy Spirit (2:38,39).
1 Corinthians 12:31 "Covet earnestly the best gifts"; tongues are not the best gifts, but one of the least gifts (14:1).
Spiritual gifts could be desired (14:1) but not claimed in faith as a birthright.
There is no command to seek them.
1 Corinthians 14:39
39 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.
That the gifts can be sought means that He is willing to distribute to the one seeking.![]()
If you're not eagerly desiring spiritual gifts, especially to prophesy you're not obeying the command of Scripture. You're refusal to listen to Him is actually hurting the people around you because prophesy builds up the church. So you need to repent.
Yeah he said no more prophesy 3 verses before he said to prophesy. That Scripture doesn't mean that. Not even close. That's why you don't have any other Scriptures to confirm it.
Roger is correct Biblically. The evidence of the cloven tongue per Acts 2 is that everyone present heard in the very dialect of their home language of birth. God knows... how we speak and hear.
Furthermore, those who claim one must speak the gibberish tongue to prove they have The Holy Spirit are speaking from the devil, because God's Word declares that The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts severally as He wills.
So you guys really... need this lesson again from Apostle Paul...
1 Cor 12:3-14
3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
According to Paul there, only one with The Holy Spirit can claim that Jesus Christ is Lord!
4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
The spiritual gifts are like administrations, and have diversities of operations. That means the cloven tongue of Pentecost is only ONE of these several administrations!!!
8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
That idea, "dividing to every man severally as He will", means The Holy Spirit gives an administration to each believer according to His will. That means not all believers receive all of them, but only the administration He calls for each person.
12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
KJV
1 Cor 12:28-31
28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
Notice with "diversities of tongues" Paul is speaking of known languages of the world, not babel gibberish speech.
29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?
30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?
31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
KJV
According to Apostle Paul in that 1 Cor.12 chapter, diversities of tongues is the LEAST OF the gifts from The Holy Spirit!! It's the very last one... on Paul's list!
SO THOSE WHO CLAIM IF YOU DON'T SPEAK THE BABEL GIBBERISH THEN YOU DON'T HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT NEED TO QUIT LISTENING TO DEVILS THAT HAVE GOTTEN POWER OVER THEM AND COME BACK TO JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF GOD!
Well that is not what Hebrews 2:4 states, it says He distributes according to His will, not according to our seeking. I see no place in scripture where each person is assured to receive the gift of speaking in tongues ( a language).
According to what Paul is teaching the only appropriate place for this to occur, since tongues is speaking in a foreign language,
is when A (who is saved) meets B (who is unsaved and foreign), and B hears the Gospel from A in his own language. But, as he speaks, A has no idea what he is saying. Yet, B hears what he says, perfectly! Afterwards, A will not know what he said, unless B translates through another person who is present and who speaks both languages!
That this may still happen, that is up to God, however the need for this has dramatically decreased since the times of the apostles.
If however you redefine tongues as a private prayer language, then I would say you are adding to scripture something that is not there.
Have you sought?
Why would I pray for the gift of tongues when I do not witness to anyone outside of the languages I know?
Why would I pray for the gift of tongues when I do not witness to anyone outside of the languages I know?
Because the Bible says to..?
Does it really now?
Show me in an event in the bible where tongues were spoken and interpreted. Every time they are recorded in Acts it was to evidence the presence of the Holy Spirit. When spoken they were recognized by those who heard them. Same as what happened at Pentecost.
In Corinth we have no record of tongues being spoken or interpreted. We have nothing to suggest that tongues were anything but human languages which could be interpreted by other humans.
You guys have cooked up this grandiose theory of tongues apart from scripture.
For the cause of Christ
Roger